1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to a recording or reproducing apparatus and more particularly to an apparatus arranged to record or reproduce signals on or from a tape-shaped recording medium (hereinafter referred to as the tape) by guiding and allowing the tape to travel obliquely around a head drum on which heads are mounted.
2. Description of the Related Art:
Recording density has increased of late. As a result, it has become possible to advance the reduction in size of the recording or reproducing apparatus of the above-stated kind. In connection with the reduction in size, cassette type tape recorders have been contrived to wrap the tape around the head drum without pulling the tape out of a cassette in which the tape is contained.
FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a tape recorder of this kind which is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. SHO 63-36536 (hereinafter referred to as the prior art example). FIG. 1 shows in an oblique view the relative movement of a head drum 1 and a tape cassette 6 of the prior art example as in a state of having the upper half of the cassette removed.
Referring to FIG. 1, pinch rollers 9 and 10 and tape guides 11 and 12 are disposed within the tape cassette 6. A tape transport system is arranged to be completed when the tape 14 is wrapped around the head drum 1 with the head drum 1 set in a given position by bringing the head drum 1 close to an aperture provided in the middle part of the tape cassette 6. This arrangement obviates the necessity of any additional tape loading mechanism, so that the mechanism of the tape recorder can be simplified for reduction in cost.
As described above, the prior art example is arranged to form a tape path with the head drum 1 allowed to come into the tape cassette 6 by moving either the head drum 1 or the tape cassette 6. With the tape path formed in this manner, however, it is hardly possible to have a constant pressed contact force between the pinch roller 9 and a capstan 13, because the pressed contact force of the capstan 13 on the pinch roller 9 is determined only by the position of the capstan 13 relative to the pinch roller 9. Therefore, the pressed contact force is inconstant to become either insufficient or excessive. The inconstant pressed contact force might cause slipping of the tape or a deformation of the tape cassette and thus has presented a problem.
Further, the capstan 13 is in pressed contact with the pinch roller 9 with the tape 14 in a state of being wrapped around the head drum 1. The capstan 13, however, must be sometimes rotated at a high speed when recorded signals are to be reproduced at a high tape transporting speed, for example, in a cue or review mode. To meet this requirement, it is necessary to use a large motor for driving the capstan 13. Therefore, while the size of the mechanism is reducible, the use of the large capstan driving motor has prevented a reduction in size and weight of the tape recorder as a whole.